One of the most common nutritional problems in the United States today is obesity. In general, obesity results from the consumption of more calories than are expended. Fats contribute from 30% to 40% of the total calories consumed by most Americans. Consumption of fat is related to many disease states, such as heart disease. Successful reduction of fat consumption has not been achieved because of the dietary habits of many industrialized nations. Therefore, the search for fat substitutes or low calorie fats has attracted considerable attention in recent years.
Among the possible low calorie fats or fat substitutes synthesized to date are: sugar polyesters, sugar alcohol polyesters such as sucrose polyesters (SPE), polyglycerol esters, neopentyl-type alcohol esters, glycerol dialkyl ethers, triglyceride esters of alpha substituted carboxylic acids, diglyceride esters of short-chain dibasic acids, trialkoxytricarballyate, polydextrose, palatinose, polygalactose, N-oil (tapioca dextrin), microbiologically derived products, nonabsorbable synthetic polymers with properties similar to edible oil, tree-derived products, low-metabolized natural fats and oils, biopolymers, branched polysaccharides and jojoba oil. Many of these are reviewed by Hamre, J. Food Sci. 49, 419 (1984).
Alkyl glycoside compositions are known in the art to be useful as detergents, gelling agents, and as food emulsifiers. Baak, U.S. Pat. No. 3,772,269, discloses a method for making alkyl glycosides by reacting monosaccharides with long chain monohydric alcohols in the presence of an acid catalyst.
Gibbons, U.S. Pat. No. 2,759,923, discloses a method for esterification of glucosides with fatty acids in the presence of an alkaline catalyst. Tetraester alkyl glycosides are produced according to the method of Gibbons at temperatures above 200.degree. C. and are suitable for use as drying oils in products such as varnishes.
Gibbons et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,931,797, discloses mixed methyl glucosideglycerol partial esters produced by alcoholysis of triglycerides with methyl glucoside. These partial esters are suitable for use as nonionic emulsifiers.
Myhre, U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,417, discloses a process for preparing fatty acid esters of sugar glycosides. Myhre first reacts a sugar glycoside with the methyl ester of a short chain acid to produce the sugar glycoside short chain esters. These sugar glycoside short chain esters are then reacted with a long chain fatty acid ester in the presence of an alkali metal alkoxide to produce the sugar glycoside fatty acid ester. Small amounts of these sugar glycoside esters are blended into the shortening component of cake mixes to improve the baking characteristics of the cake mix.